As we reported last month, one of the most amazing experiences we had at Ohio’s Horrorhound Weekend was DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW writer, J.D. Feigelson, hand delivering us the identities of TWO previously unknown horror hosts (story HERE). The first, as covered, was the popular Dr. Ghoulman. The second is being revealed here for the very FIRST time, Professor Headstone!
Last Friday, for the first time in 30 years, commercial TV Horror Host, Mr. Mephisto, donned his signature make-up and stood before the cameras once more. The appearance took place in Kenosha on the set of Dr. Destruction’s Crimson Theatre at The Time Warner Studio. Mephisto, Dick Flanigan, arrived around noon and was greeted by a full set of cast members and guests as well as local new crews.
From 1969-1982, Dick Flanigan’s Mr. Mephisto would entertain Madison, Wisconsin horror fans as their host extraordinaire! Though not the first incarnation of the character, Flanigan would not only inherit the name but irrefutably make it his own. Late Friday nights, viewers could catch their favorite horror host courtesy of WMTV/Channel 15’s “Ferdie’s Inferno” and later “Lenny’s Inferno.”
Texas “Shock Theater” Host – Dr. Ghoulman, rises once more!
One of the most unusual and wonderful things happened to us Daves at the last Horrorhound Weekend in Ohio. It started that opening night while we were perusing the main convention hall, ogling the unique items that the dealers had for sale while dodging fellow guests – many dressed as blood-soaked killers. Somehow, in the midst of all this pandemonium, my eyes focused on our dear friend, J.D. Feigelson. Feigelson, as our readers should at this time be well-versed, is the talented writer of one of my absolute FAVORITE films – DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARCROW. Now if you’re new to this site, and haven’t caught the numerous posts we’ve done both on Feigelson or that movie gem, we urge you to go back and do so. Feigelson was, and always will be, one of the nicest celebrities out there and one we are proud to also call “friend.” As before, he was all smiles and a genuine pleasure to talk to. This time, however, that signature smile appeared to have maniacal overtones as, unbeknownst to us, he was harboring a bit of a surprise…
Svengoolie puts the squeeze on the Daves.
Growing up a monster kid in Rhode Island had its limitations. We did not have a local horror host though we did have our weekly Creature Double Feature, a long running series of some of the best monster movies ever put on film. As the 70’s came to an end, so did the interest in monsters it seemed. The Creature Double Feature wanted to go in a new direction and they brought in the Son Of Svengoolie. I wasn’t sure what to make of this character when I first saw that the format changed but it didn’t take long for me to become hooked on this top-hatted ghoul.
Ever since watching the quintessential horror host documentary, AMERICAN SCARY, a couple of years ago I’ve been enthralled with Stella Desire. Most people site Elvira as the bawdiest (and bustiest) of the 80’s hostesses but, just as The Mistress of the Dark was the irrefutable “Queen of Camp” on the West Coast, there was another who would dominate the East.
We were honored last week when Jason Hignite from HORRORHOUND WEEKEND asked us to induct The Universal Shock Theater Package into the Hall of Fame this coming weekend at the big event! This historic collection of 52 films (one for each week of the year) given to commercial TV stations in 1957 featured Universal’s classic collection of monsters and led to both the proliferation of horror hosts as well as monster fans across the country!
